Originations on Retail Loans Down

The Mortgage Bankers Association is still computing final numbers, but preliminary results indicate that loan volume on retail real estate fell in the fourth quarter of 2006.

According to an MBA statement:

Commercial and multifamily mortgage bankers' loan originations in the fourth quarter were three percent higher than during the same quarter last year. ... The increase in commercial/multifamily lending activity during the fourth quarter was driven by increases in originations for hotel properties, offices, industrial and multifamily. When compared to the fourth quarter of 2005, the overall increase included a 20 percent increase in loans for hotel properties, an 8 percent increase in loans for office properties, a 3 percent increase in loans for industrial properties and a 2 percent increase in loans for multifamily. Lending for retail properties saw a 5 percent decrease and health care properties saw a decrease of 7 percent.